Blue Mountain Barrel House Local Species
A couple of weeks ago a picked up a trio of beers from Virginia’s Blue Mountain Brewery. Each is part of a series of beers released through the company’s off-shoot production brewery, Barrel House. This branch of the brewery focuses on higher-end beers “…that require special processes, special ingredients, and a whole lot of patience.”
Local Species is the first of the trio that I tried. It’s a 6.6% ABV Belgian-inspired ale that’s crafted with a special barley malt, American hops and Belgian yeast that is then aged in charred White Oak bourbon barrels for a period of time. The end result is a brew that, while a little rough around the edges, was quite tasty and definitely further piqued my interest in the other two brews I purchased along with this.
Appearance
Local Species pours a clear copper/rust color with a large, rocky head off-white head that displayed impressive resiliency through the drinking process.
Aroma
I found the nose to be fairly subtle, with hints of roast malt, wood and peppery Belgian yeast.
Taste
The flavors of this brew are much more attention grabbing than the aroma. A moderate amount of smokey char, bourbon and a late forming bit of hop bitterness (24 IBU) command your focus as a smooth Belgian yeast (reminding me of Duvel a bit) comes into play. The combination of the barrel aging, hops and fruity esters of the yeast work well together, making for a fairly complex, yet relatively easy drinking beer. The light bodied brew has a crisp mouthfeel and a surprisingly warming sensation in the chest for a relatively modest alcohol content.
Overall
This was an interesting brew. I enjoyed the effects the barrel aging had on the brew, but the presence of the alcohol within a beer that was only 6.6% ABV is a bit surprising and gave Local Species a rough-around-the-edges character. That certainly didn’t stop me from enjoying the beer, however, as I plan on picking a couple more bottles up to set aside for a while. I’m hoping a few months or so in the cellar will help tame the alcohol some.
Rating:3.75/5
